Conventional ventilation assemblies used in security settings typically have at least one grille (or grate) secured in place on a surface (such as, e.g., a wall or a ceiling) of the cell or other enclosed area where the occupant is being confined. The grille has openings to allow air in the cell to be exchanged, such as through ductwork connected as part of a ventilation system for the facility.
In conventional assemblies, the grilles often have a reinforced construction in an effort to prevent the occupant from accessing an area outside the cell, such as in an attempt to escape from the cell. These conventional grille and grille frame constructions, however, may allow occupants to hang themselves or be hanged.
Others have attempted to address this problem, such as by providing a grille with air passages that have substantial direction changes that make it difficult to thread through a rope or a belt. The passages in these grilles, however, increase the restriction to air flow and thus may be undesirable. Also, the prior approaches do not address the need to quickly and cost-effectively retrofit a large installed base of existing conventional ventilation assemblies.